New Windows 10 beta build is all about bug fixes

Microsoft on Thursday launched another beta build of Windows 10 to public testers that's crammed full of bug fixes and performance improvements.

Build 10586 is going out to people who have signed up to get bleeding-edge updates through the Windows Insider Program, and is supposed to smooth out some of the bugs that Microsoft introduced into the operating system. The biggest change is a fix that allows small form-factor devices that run in a resolution larger than their screen size (like the Dell Venue 8 Pro) to upgrade to the latest build. In a few recent beta builds, the system crashed and downgraded those devices instead.

Surface Pro 3 users can now safely push their tablets' power buttons to put them to sleep, now that Microsoft has squashed a bug that would accidentally shut down the device instead. The company also fixed a bug that caused audio to drop by 75 percent for a time after a notification showed up.

The build also includes a number of enhancements. Windows 10 now remembers what method people use to log in, so they don't get prompted to enter a password if they chose to log in with a PIN. Apps also download more reliably from the Windows Store -- something that's important as Microsoft continues to push its online storefront as a way to get applications for Windows 10.

Gabe Aul, a general manager at Microsoft who has been the public face of the Windows Insider Program, said in a blog post that the build is something Microsoft engineers have been loving internally, because of how fast and smooth it is. (Users' mileage may vary, of course.)

That's not to say that this build is without bugs. Users will find that if they upgrade from another preview build, their Skype contacts and messages will disappear from the Messaging and Skype apps. It's not a new bug -- users had to deal with the same issue with the last build that Microsoft released. Here's how to get them back, according to Aul:

You can get Skype messages and contacts back by navigating to “C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Messaging_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache” in File Explorer and deleting or renaming the “PrivateTransportId” file. After deleting or renaming that file, go to the Skype video app and sign out of Skype and sign back in.

The bug fix-focused build isn't surprising, considering that Microsoft is supposed to be gearing up for its first major update to Windows 10 this month after launching the operating system at the end of July.

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